Adrian and Denise's Travel Diary.

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We free camped just up the road to Freycinet proper and took in the splendid mountains, beaches and bays of the place.The water is crystal clear, green and blue, with brown and red rocks complementing the colour scheme.Very pretty.

Swansea was a tiny but very pretty town with nice beaches around
the place and a quiet free camp nearby. We got there just as a
weekend bream fishing competition was ending so watched the very
serious weighing and prize giving, complete with champagne spraying
of onlookers, much to Denise's horror of wasted
bubbles.

The views all along the coast are to die for but the water, though
inviting, is freezing.

We camped at Sorell again and drove back south around the bays to the little coastal settlements full of shacks and mansions, all with beautiful views.Dunellan is at a thin join to the lower peninsula and in 1901, theye hand cut a canal from one bay to the other. It took 4 years and uses a swinging bridge to let boats through.

The area around Eaglehawk Neck had very interesting features, tassilated pavement blocks, (lots of photos for lots of designs) blowholes, steep cliffs, guard dogs across the narrow neck for the convicts, sinkhole arches and beautiful clear green/blue water.Had lunch at a caravan kitchen at the blowhole, big local scallops with roe intact, calamari, beautiful tasty white fish, and chips.A very enjoyable area.

On a wet, windy day, we went to the Cave that has 2 main openings and one that joins the two. One entry is shaped like tassie from a particular aspect.Very high walls, about 25 metres high, bounce the sound of the viscious waves that race into the place and you have to be quick to retreat when taking photos. Spectacular!!

It was the first time we fully appreciated that Tasmania was
designed as Australia's main penal settlement, not just one or two
places but the whole island, and this place epitomised the harsh,
cruel and isolated circumstances of convicts suffering for
sometimes very minor offences.
We were very impressed with the number of buildings still standing
after 2 bush fires and demolition after its closure. The quality of
workmanship of all the original buildings was surprising, with
attention to detail in every aspect, no slap dash stuff just
becasue they were convicts.
Google for the whole story, but this place was the for the worst
lot and were punished at every opportunity, floggings, solitary
confinement in silence, harder work.
The non convicts had splendid accomodation, just the same as home,
a very stark opposite to the cells - of course.

The remnants of this convict work area, the coal and sandstone mines were sparse but still gave a feeling of harsh and punishing conditions.Tiny single cells were to diminish the chances of men canoodling at nights.